Akatsuki Translations

Escaping from the temporary city is by no means easy.

In the region of the City of Sin, Gradol, the number of monsters outside the city is not particularly high. However, that doesn’t mean they are non-existent. Rushing out of the barrier without a plan would guarantee becoming perfect prey for the monsters. Escorts were essential.

When the attendants came here, they were escorted by the Sun Knights. But now, there are none. If they were to flee without an escort, they would be risking their lives to the possibility of monster attacks.

For the Nameless who deal with life-threatening situations on a regular basis, this might be nothing new, but for the attendants who have lived inside the city where such dangers are exceedingly rare, deciding to flee with that level of risk was hardly expected.

“Hurry! Run for your lives! Away from that horrifying monster.”

Indeed, only in the most urgent of emergencies would they consider fleeing.

And Uuga was experiencing just such an emergency.

The attendants gathered to assist with the new city establishment in the Dragon-Devoured city had been abandoning their duties and fleeing en masse. They forcibly took the Nameless from the temporary city as escorts and were running at full speed.

Griffin, of the third rank, Gran, who had been complaining to Echelle the other day, was also among those fleeing. The carriage carrying his massive body and his entourage of attendants rattled and swayed violently, shaking Griffin’s large frame considerably. He screamed in discomfort. The ride was incomparably worse than the carriages he was accustomed to using, and to make matters worse, it was slow.

“Why is this so slow! What’s with that nag?”

“Give us a break. Our horses can’t run any faster than this.”

Reylough, a “Nameless” man hired for inter-city transport, wearily brushed off his employer’s complaints. No matter how much they grumbled, it was impossible to go faster. The horses pulling the carriage were old. Despite that, they were valuable animals trained not to fear the monsters outside the city, but it seemed they still didn’t meet the luxurious standards of their well-fed employer.

For Griffin, accustomed to the horses bred within the city, unaware of the dreadful monsters outside, these animals would naturally seem slow by his standards. City dwellers and priests, accustomed to the safety of the city’s interior, often expect the same standards outside, making them troublesome charges.

Still, the reason he compromised on this inconvenience was the substantial reward offered and, more importantly, the shared goal of escaping the “city of Uuga,” which had transformed into a monster, as quickly as possible.

“Feels bad for those who don’t even have a horse to escape on…” -Reylough

The people treated as slaves in Gradol, naturally, had no means of arranging any transportation. They had no way to escape. Well, if you’re Nameless, you could always run on foot, he convinced himself as he desperately fled.

The temporary city had been conveniently used as a midway point between cities. Even after the city had become cursed and dangerous, its convenience kept people using it.

But it was clearly time to leave, perhaps well past time. That’s why he was hurrying.

Reylough knew it. The reactions of the attendants making noise behind him were not entirely wrong. The transformation of that city was bad news. They needed to get away as quickly as possible.

” ―――― What the hell’s that?” -Reylough

However, not long after leaving the temporary city, a strange sight caught his eye on the road leading to the City of Sin, Gradol.

Ahead on the poorly paved road, there were figures.

“What’s the matter? Why are we stopping?!” -Griffin

Ignoring his employer’s complaints, Reylough slowly brought the horses to a halt. The figures stood blocking the road as if to barricade it. They weren’t bandits. Bandits don’t dress like that. Those were knights’ attire. And not just any knights.

“Are those… the Sun Knights? What are they doing here?” -Reylough

“Never mind that, why are they blocking the road?! Hey!” -Griffin

Griffin ordered, and one of the attendants nodded and went to speak to them. The Sun Knights were also priests, but in terms of rank, Griffin, a Gran, was present. The attendant approached the Sun Knights boldly.

“…” -Reylough

But Reylough had a very bad feeling. It was the kind of instinctual sense of danger that came from moving through the areas outside the city as a Nameless.

The Sun Knights must have noticed the approaching attendant. They turned their gaze towards him and slowly—drew the swords at their waists.

” ――――!!!” -Reylough

In an instant, Reylough pulled on the reins. His horse, sensing the tense atmosphere, immediately obeyed, turned around, and dashed off. They retraced their path at double the speed they had come.

“Hey! What are you doing?! Turn back!” -Griffin

“Ah~, can’t hear anything.” -Reylough

The carriage fled, creating twice the noise as before. The passengers screamed, some raised voices of protest, but Reylough ignored them all.

“GyaaAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!!”

A scream echoed. It came from the attendant who had approached the Sun Knights moments earlier. The fellow attendants, including Griffin, turned back to look from the carriage. Blood was scattered behind them. From the attendant’s body protruded a dull, metallic object.

Who could understand that the Sun Knights had torn the attendant’s body apart with a sword bestowed by God?

“―――Eeek!?” -Griffin

However, the cold gaze of the Knight of the Sun who had slain the attendant conveyed enough murderous intent to make it clear they had to escape.

“Ru-run!! Hurry?!” -Griffin

“I know that!!” -Reylough

Reylough shouted back in response to the far too late command and found himself forced to flee back to the temporary city at full speed. Then, it dawned on him.

It was indeed too late. He had misjudged the timing to leave.

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“Eh, well, that’s pretty much what happened to me. Seems like the Sun Knights are blocking all the paths from here. And anyone who approaches, be it attendants or not, gets cut down no questions asked.” -Reylough

“…Ridicu..lous.” -Echelle

“Well, I couldn’t believe it myself. But, all the others who took on the escort jobs either ran back or ended up dead… sheesh.” -Reylough

Hearing Reylough’s report upon his return, Echelle was speechless. The shock was beyond mere astonishment. It would have been more believable to hear that everything he said was a lie.

That the Sun Knights, the guardians of God and the spirits, the only sword wielded by the Temple, the rulers of the world, would attack and kill the attendants who had fled for refuge? Why would this happen?

The monsterification of the city the other day, with its preceding signs, was more understandable than this.

This time, the situation was completely incomprehensible.

“Was it really… them?” -Echelle

Echelle asked, her voice strained. It would have been easier to understand if they had been impostors posing as Sun Knights. But Kalkara, who had been gathering information from the other attendants, shook her head.

“Some of them declared themselves as Sun Knights. Witnesses also saw the emblem of the Sun, so they were undoubtedly from the Gradol’s Sun Knight Order.” -Reylough

“…”  -Echelle

“Echelle-sama. Stay strong.” -Shizuku

Shizuku supported Echelle, whose knees were shaking, and she was about to collapse. But it was of no comfort. Her heart felt cold, and her head feverishly hot. Echelle felt completely out of control.

“Someone, anyone, please, give me an explanation that makes sense!” -Echelle

No one there reprimanded her for her scream. It was a cry that spoke for everyone present.

And as if in response to her scream, there was a knock on the office door.

“Uh, sorry. Echelle-sama?” -Kalan

“Oh, Kalan-sama?” -Echelle

The door opened, and out came Kalan, a servant who had explained the situation inside the temporary temple to Ur and the others. He slipped in, as if hiding from something.

“What’s with that way of moving?” -Echelle

“Well, it’s just that, being found would be bad, Echelle-sama. Here, take this.” -Kalan

Saying so, what was handed to a critically injured Echelle was an envelope sealed with wax. Echelle seemed to immediately sense what it was.

“The emblem of the Sun Knight Order…!” -Echelle

“It seems among those attendants who tried to flee, some ran into the main camp of the Sun Knight Order that’s blocking the way, and they were given this.” -Kalan

Echelle almost snatched it away, then peeled off the wax. As she did, the letter inside snapped open with a click—a sound of magic being activated. The letter that Echelle was about to pull out floated out of the envelope on its own and hovered in the air.

“It’s a magical voice recording. I’ve seen it at the academy,” Shizuku explained to a cautious Ur. At the same time, the “voice recording” began to play, and the voice of the person who had prepared this special letter echoed in the office.

《To all involved in the construction of the satellite city Uuga, and to its leader, Echelle Loine Raleigh. 》

A young man’s voice, clear and resonant as if giving a speech. Though transmitted through magic, his confidence was palpable.

And as his voice was heard, Echelle grimaced, recognizing it without needing further confirmation.

“Aesula…” -Echelle

“Aesula?” -Ur

Before Ur could react to her words, the letter’s audio continued.

《My name is Aesula Shinra Caraleigh. We have been dispatched by the Sun Knight Order as a ‘Purification Squad to resolve the situation in the satellite city Uuga, and I am the person in charge of this mission. 》-Aesula

A team for resolution, a thankfully welcome phrase, yet nothing about it felt reassuring. Whether it was the ominous sound of “purification” or the fact that the desperately fleeing attendants had been mercilessly turned away and killed, Ur couldn’t tell.

Of course, the sender of the letter wouldn’t care about Ur’s feelings. After all, it was just a prerecorded voice being played back as if speaking in front of them, not giving any consideration to the listeners.

《Given the dragon’s barrier that has arisen in Uuga and the subsequent anomalies, the City of Sin, Gradol has designated Uuga as a 【Dragon-Cursed Region】. Our Purification Squad’s mission is to deal with this. 》-Aesula

“Dragon-Cursed…” -Ur

“Diz-sama mentioned it before. It’s like the City of Sin, Wrath that was burned by the Dragon of Sin. {laces where the dragon’s calamity has spread are identified as such.” -Shizuku

Like the black flames of the Dragon of Sin,  Wrath, where merely looking can curse a person, and approaching can take one’s life, spreading malice. Essentially, areas outside the human habitation zone, outside the city, turned into forbidden areas by dragons, becoming so malevolent that their very existence is harmful, are what is meant by 【Dragon-Cursed Regions】.

And now, Aesula, the sender of the letter, is declaring that the place where Ur and the others are, is one such area.

I see, well, I can somewhat understand what they’re getting at. The city itself turning into a monster is a supernatural phenomenon. It’s still inactive for now, but if the monster that was once Uuga begins to move in earnest, it could cause tremendous damage. It does feel like a rushed judgment, but I can’t argue against the designation itself.

The problem then is the means by which they plan to “resolve” the issue of this Dragon-Cursed Region.

They claim to be a purification squad, so they must intend to resolve this issue. But how?

While Ur had these questions, he already had a pretty good idea of the answer. The Sun Knight Order’s treatment of the attendants made their approach quite clear.

《Therefore, we will annihilate it. Burn everything. Literally everything. We will not allow any exceptions. We will eradicate all sources of the calamity. 》-Aesula

Thus, the next words spoken did not particularly surprise Ur—though they were unpleasant.

《Dragons, those thought to be involved with dragons, and even those suspected of involvement, will be annihilated. 》-Aesula

It was a clear declaration of a massacre.

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Annihilate everything.

Echelle, too, had anticipated the possibility of those words. She was not so naive as to be unable to predict this outcome after knowing how the Sun Knights had reacted. But she had tried not to think about it, rejecting the idea.

Having her evasion smashed so directly, Echelle felt dizzy.

《Lastly, to my foolish sister, Echelle Loine Raleigh, I declare this: Your official position is stripped. This includes your rights as a city resident. You are also expelled from the Sun Knights. 》-Aesula

Her brother’s voice spoke. Her brother was addressing her. A voice from the blood-related family, from the man who loathed, tormented, and was as terrifying as a demon to Echelle. Her body instinctively tensed up.

《To you, who are foolish, ugly, and a disgrace to our bloodline, I offer one last opportunity. 》-Aesula

Echelle’s reaction was probably understood by him. Even though the voice was transferred to the letter by magic and not face-to-face, the tone seemed to rise in anticipation of Echelle’s response.

《Die. I shall grant you the chance to cleanse the Caraleigh name you have disgraced with your own blood. Continue to apologize to our ancestors and perish. Do so as swiftly as possible. 》-Aesula

With those cruel words, the letter fulfilled its purpose. As the magic light faded, the letter gently fell to the ground. Then, as if triggered by another mechanism or by magic, flames suddenly appeared and quickly consumed the letter, leaving nothing behind.

Having heard it to the end, Echelle

“―――”  -Echelle

“Hey,” -Ur

Before Ur could reach out, she collapsed, unconscious.